


thought i saw a sign [somewhere between the lines]

by babybirdblues



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Cuddling, Gen, Multi, Sassy friends, Sleep Deprivation, Tim Drake Birthday Hunt Fic 2020, Tim Drake is a hot mess, could be more than friends, written for discord group
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:34:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25386871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babybirdblues/pseuds/babybirdblues
Summary: There’s guilt stirring in his gut.  They weren’t the ones on call at the Tower -- for once.  Bart and Kon, and, to a lesser degree Cassie, were pumped about having the weekend just to themselves.
Relationships: Bart Allen & Tim Drake & Kon-El | Conner Kent & Cassie Sandsmark
Comments: 7
Kudos: 115





	thought i saw a sign [somewhere between the lines]

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as part of a discord Tim Drake celebration. It's for the lovely Marudny_Robot and I hope you like it, sweetie!

Tim’s running late.

It’s not completely unusual. It’s hard to keep a set schedule when you’re a teenage vigilante who is also CEO to a Fortune 500 company.

Anyways, he’s running late and he knows that he’s going to get hell for it. Especially since he promised that he wouldn’t be late this weekend. Tim’s mad at himself. He should have kept to his schedule the best he could -- should have told Dick no when he wanted Tim to stay and chat.

Tim didn’t. So, now he’s running late.

There’s guilt stirring in his gut. They weren’t the ones on call at the Tower -- for once. Bart and Kon, and, to a lesser degree Cassie, were pumped about having the weekend just to themselves.

And now Tim’s probably ruined it.

“Stop it, Tim,” he mutters as he eases into the right lane. “You didn’t ruin anything.”

He doesn’t fully believe it -- sort of hard to erase years of self doubt -- but he’s trying. Mostly because he knows Kon’s already listening for him. Hopefully he’s not listening too closely. Tim’s heart is sort of skipping. He might not have slept last night. Or the night before. And he’s definitely had too much coffee.

Signalling, Tim merges off the I-70. He still has about fourteen miles to go. Tim’ll make it. He’s travelled through worse. Though, he probably should have stuck to an automatic. Maybe one with a built in drive assist.

He drove the Alfa Romeo because he knows Bart and Kon will appreciate it. He also hasn’t had much chance to take her for a spin. Not recently. And she’s such a beauty.

A horn blares.

It’s not aimed at him -- probably -- but Tim shakes his head, refocusing on the road.

“Twenty minutes,” he raises his voice. “Twenty minutes or so and I’ll be at the farm. There better be something cold waiting for me because it’s fucking hot out here, Kon.”

There’s no answer. Or, well, maybe there is but Tim doesn’t have Kon’s superhearing. So, he’ll have to wait until he gets there for his answer.

<<<<>>>>

Tim turns onto the Farm’s laneway as the sun’s beginning to set, car -- and himself -- miraculously intact. It was hit or miss the last few miles. Mostly because people were heading home from work and Main Street was jammed.

He feels like sleeping for a week.

But he promised this weekend to Kon, Bart and Cassie. Tim refuses to ruin it. 

He absentmindedly notes that Pa’s truck isn’t in the drive and makes sure to park farther away from the house. Ma and Pa are getting up there and it’d be rude to take the closest parking spot to the house.

A squeal is his only warning before he’s knocked back against his door, arms full of a vibrating Bart.

“Told you he was nearly here, Bart.”

Kon grins from the top of the porch steps, not even bothering to come out into the sun. Bart sticks out his tongue. The action only causes Kon to shake with suppressed laughter. Cassie eyes him as she saunters out of the house.

“Youneversaidthisclose!”

“Bart,” Cassie slaps the back of Kon’s head, smiling sweetly as he shoots her a hurt look. “Maybe you should let Tim come inside? Or, I don’t know, breathe?”

Tim feels his shoulders loosen -- when did they get that tight? -- and smiles up at her, trying to hide his exhaustion. “Both. Both is good.”

“Ooooh,” Kon kicks off the porch -- gently because Ma would kill him otherwise -- and floats towards the tangle of Bart and Tim. “Road to Eldorado. Nice.”

“You know me, Kon, only the classics.”

Kon hooks his hands under Bart’s arms, pulling fruitlessly. “Come on dude, let Tim go.”

Bart holds on tighter, burying his face into Tim’s neck -- only to recoil with a scrunched nose.

“Dude, you are so sweaty.”

Tim rolls his eyes, batting lightly at the back of Bart’s head. 

“We-eell,” he yawns, turning his head so it’s not right in Bart’s face. Not that he doesn’t deserve coffee breath. “considering I started driving right after work and suits aren’t the greatest for summer weather. Especially in a hundred degrees.”

The conversation gives Kon the opening he needs to scoop Bart up in his arms, freeing Tim from the almost-octopus-like hold.

Cassie claps her hands together from the porch. “All right idiots--”

“Oi, Cass, rude!”

“Not nice, Cassie!”

“Why am I an idiot?”

She rolls her eyes, hands on her hips. “All right,  _ idiots and Tim _ . Ma left us dinner -- time to eat.”

Bart and Kon whine the entire way into the kitchen, but they don’t argue. Maybe it’s because Cassie used the ‘Ma voice’. It’s probably because between the two of them they’re always hungry.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Ma and Pa?”

Kon turns, floating a bit as he stumbles. “Nah, they went to visit with Lois and Jon for the weekend. We got the whole Farm to ourselves. It’s gonna be great.”

“They didn’t have to leave.”

Shit. Tim’s brain to mouth filter has officially left the building.

Kon pauses in his shoving -- Tim doesn’t want to sit in that seat Kon, it’s right in the sunbeam from the setting sun and it burns his eyes, okay? -- and turns Tim around. “Tim. Hey, look at me.”

Tim lets a puff of air escape from his nose; even to his ears it sounds angry. Cassie and Bart have gone quiet on the other side of the table, eyes focused on Tim’s face. He avoids looking at them. His other option is the table or it’s to do as Kon asked and look at Kon.

He looks at Kon. “Yeah?”

“Tim,” Kon is wearing his Serious TM face. “Ma and Pa would have loved to stay and spend the weekend with you, with us. They left because Lois is sick with the flu and Clark’s off world. Jon is a natural disaster in a ten year old body who cannot be left alone without supervision.”

“Like you’re one to talk, Mister I’m-technically-only-nine.”

Cassie snorts around a drink of water, spraying it all over the -- thankfully -- covered pot pie.

“Oi,” Kon’s mouth drops open, hands raising up to rest on his hips. “ _ Rude _ . I am not a natural disaster like Jon is!”

“I don’t know Kon--”

“And not a word out of you Bart, Mister I-cause-tornados-in-my-spare-time!”

“Okay, boys--”

Bart grins, gearing up for an argument, even as Tim sinks down into his chair. He looks at Cassie. Tim feels too tired to speak right now. So, he circles his fist over his chest and lays his head on the table.

“THAT IS ENOUGH.”

Cassie’s voice shakes the kitchen. But it gets Kon and Bart to stop arguing.

“We are going to eat dinner,” she points at the two vacant chairs -- Kon’s beside Tim and Bart’s beside her. “And then we are going to go up to the loft and watch a marathon of  _ Wendy _ .”

That makes Tim lift his head. Because Cassie doesn’t like watching  _ Wendy _ with them -- she says they talk too much. He shuffles so he can make an attempt at flicking his fingers. Hopefully she’ll be able to get the idea.

“Yep, but, I think you’re too tired to do anything else and I refuse to left these two peabrains do something stupid.”

“We wouldn’t.”

It would be more convincing if there wasn’t a pout on Kon’s face. Tim lets out a breath of a laugh and forces himself upright. He can’t eat dinner if he’s laying on the table. Maybe dinner will do him some good and he’ll be up for doing something after.

<<<<>>>>

Tim was not up for doing something after.

In fact, as soon as they had settled, Tim was asleep. He really didn’t mean to. He feels incredibly guilty over it. He’ll probably still feel guilty for it -- except it's really hard to feel guilty over anything right now.

It’s too damn hot.

Tim shouldn’t be surprised. He’s shared enough beds with Kon and Bart over the years that he knows they’re giant furnaces. But this feels different. This is suffocating in the way that Tim’s only felt a few times before.

Plus, there’s no fan.

Tim knows he went to sleep with three fans on -- and, now that he’s thinking about it, there should be the sound of  _ Wendy _ playing in the background. Or at least the music for the title screen.

There’s nothing.

No electronic buzz. No whirr of blades slicing through the air.

In fact, the only sound he hears is three others breathing.

The power must have gone out.

“Kon!”

Kon groans as Tim jams his fingers in under his ribs.

“Kon! Wake up’nd go check the breaker. Power’s out. Im’ot okay with the heat.”

“Duuuuuude,” he puts more weight on Tim -- a feat in itself, Tim already feels like he’s being suffocated by the weight of Kon and Bart combined.

Tim doesn’t budge. He wiggles his fingers more, exerting more pressure on Kon’s liver. “Now Conner Kon-El Kent!”

Cassie giggles from where she’s curled up on the sofa. “You heard the man, Kon. Go check the breaker.”

Kon’s weight disappears; Tim’s lungs appreciate the reprieve. Bart replaces him in seconds, rolling up from where he was tucked into Tim’s side.

“I coulda went.”

Tim pats Bart on the head, moving his hair just enough so that Tim’s not going to choke on it.

“You could’ve,” the comfort of a good night’s sleep is slowly slipping through his grasp. “But it’s Kon’s home. Best if he does it.”

Bart sighs, snuggling further into Tim’s -- read: Kon’s -- shirt. “Okay.”

Within moments, Bart’s back asleep, breathing softly into Tim’s chest. Cassie stiffles another giggle into the couch cushion and then coos. Tim looks up towards her through his eyelashes, using his free hand to flip her off on the off chance she can see it.

“Aw, don’t be like that boy wonder.”

Tim can practically see her grin -- even if it’s pitch black and he doesn’t have night vision. “Go the fuck to sleep, Cassie.”

She snorts, “as long as you try to go back to sleep too. Try to shut off your brain for a bit more, okay?”

“No promises,” Tim grunts as Kon flops back down, head pillowed on his stomach.

“Power’s out in the whole town. Ain’t gonna be able to fix it.”

Well shit.

“Well shit.”

Cassie’s cackle is audible, even with her head shoved as far into the couch as she can make it.

“Yep,” Kon pops the ‘p’. “On the brightside, I got us one of those kiddie pools to use tomorrow. We can fill it with ice--”

“The power’s out, where are you gonna get ice?”

“--with ice that Bart runs to get,” Kon raises his voice, talking over Tim. He pats Bart on the head when he whines, making a quick shushing noise. “And just spend the day chillin’.”

Tim lets another sigh escape. “I mean, sure. But didn’t you guys have the weekend all planned out?”

A hand reaches over and flicks his forehead.

“Well, duh,” Cassie smooths her palm over the place she just flicked. “But plans can change, Tim. It’s okay as long as we get the weekend together, right?”

“Right.”

Tim hates changing plans. He’s okay with it when it’s during Patrol or like a world ending situation, but when it comes down to it, he’d rather the first plan go smoothly. It’s exhausting when he has to keep on his toes all the time.

Kon shifts. He makes a smacking noise as he kisses Tim on the cheek.

“Relax, Rob. We got this,” Kon laughs against the hand Tim has pressing on his face. “If it gets really bad we’ll head to where there is power, all right? Dick’ll probably let us use his apartment. I mean, he was messaging me upset, which I don’t get, ‘cause we had these plans for months.”

“Wait,” Tim removes his hand from Kon’s face and pinches his ear.

“Oi! What did I do to deserve that?”

Bart groans out something that sounds like ‘everything’. Tim feels his lips twitch up into a grin.

“Everything. But,” Tim tugs on Kon’s ear. “What did you mean by Dick being upset?”

“Whoops,” Cassie tries to whisper. She’s laughing though, so it comes out at normal volume. 

“Whoops? Cassie knows what’s going on too!”

Tim’s voice is rising -- he’s panicking, he knows he’s starting to. But Dick is upset at something Tim did? How does Kon know? How does Cassie? Does Bart know too? What did he do? How can he--

“Wooooh,” Kon’s hovering over him and Bart, Bart has a camping lamp that he must have run off to get. It allows Tim to see the concern on their faces; he sees Cassie sitting up on the couch, eyebrows drawn tight and lips thinned. “Breathe with me, man.”

Bart takes Tim’s hand in his own. “HeyTimheyyoudid--”

“Slow down, Bart,” Cassie murmurs, reaching out her feet so her toes just brush Tim’s head.

“Right!” Bart takes a visible breath, holding it for a few seconds. “Right. No one’s upset with you, Tim.”

Really. Tim can’t believe that. Someone is always upset with him because he ruins everything he tries to do and--

“Tim.”

Kon’s right there. Face to face, expression pained -- but he doesn’t look angry?

“Tim, they’re right. Dick’s not mad at you -- he’s mad at  _ us _ .”

Wait, what?

“Wait, what?” and in his confusion, Tim’s breathing eases. He blinks, shoving Kon backwards so he can sit up. “What do you mean, he’s mad at you?”

Cassie slides down onto the floor behind Tim, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and tugging at Bart to join in the hug. Kon stays in front of him, not quite close enough to join the hug -- he wraps his hand around Tim’s.

“Just what I said, boy wonder,” Kon squeezes Tim’s hand, shoulders slumping. “We wouldn’t cancel our plans this weekend and we fought about it.”

“What.”

That doesn’t make sense.

Why would Dick be angry with them for not cancelling their plans? How did Dick even know that Tim had plans to come to Smallville? Sure, Tim's made sure he had nothing pressing going on in Gotham this weekend, and he asked Jason to take over his Patrol routes for the few days he’d be gone. But, Tim didn’t talk to Dick until this afternoon. Hell, he didn’t even mention leaving Gotham, just that he had plans.

“What.”

Kon shrugs, falling forwards onto Tim with a grin. He twists midway so his head lands in Tim’s lap.

“Yeah, I know,” he looks up, stretching his arms around Tim’s back in a loose hug. “I get it, but at the same time we had plans first. Not my fault he waited until the last minute to plan and execute a party for you.”

“I thought they were gonna forget,” Bart chimes in.

“What.”

Cassie snorts against Tim’s shoulder. “They mean  _ ‘Happy Birthday, boy wonder’ _ .”

“Wait, what?”

It’s not his birthday. That falls on the nineteenth. Next weekend.

“My birthday isn't until next weekend.”

Kon’s eyes dance in the camping light. “Dude, it’s officially the nineteenth as of a few hours ago.” 

Well, shit.

“Well, shit.”

Cassie let's Tim go as she falls backwards, cackling so hard she’s hiccuping. Bart makes a huffing noise that should not sound so disgruntled. And Kon, Kon just grins up at Tim.

“Wait,” Tim curls around Kon, resting their foreheads together. Kon raises his head slightly so they bump. “Does this mean this whole weekend is my birthday party?”

“Yes!” Cassie manages between gasps of air. If Tim were to look, she would probably be crying. He’s not going to look. “Raven’s gonna owe me three weekends!”

Tim closes his eyes tightly, counting to ten. “You bet on me forgetting my birthday, didn’t you?”

“Of course she did,” Bart moves so he’s laying across Tim’s back. “We would have too, but the rest of the team said Kon and I woulda cheated. Don’t know why they think Cassie wouldn’t.”

“Mmm, she knows you just as well, Rob.”

They’re quiet for a while, letting Tim process his thoughts.

“So,” Tim draws the word out, wiggling his shoulders to let Bart know to move. “Dick isn’t mad at me--”

Cassie makes a noise of agreement. She’s calmed down a lot from her laughing fit.

“-- he’s mad at you three because you already had plans for my birthday and refused to cancel?”

“Pretty much,” Kon opens his eyes and looks at Tim with his SeriousTM face on. “Don’t you dare feel guilty about it, Tim. He should have tried to talk to you about making plans instead of just assuming you’d go along with it.”

Tim knows that.

He’s been better at setting boundaries. Sort of.

Whatever Dick planned can be rescheduled, and if not, well, next time Dick’ll have to talk to Tim about his plans. Especially since they concerned Tim himself.

“I know that.”

“And?” Bart pipes up, wiggling his fingers in their line of sight to break their staring contest.

“And I will try my hardest not to feel guilty.”

“Good,” Cassie’s voice wavers as she yawns. She sprawls out, arm smacking against Bart’s thigh. “Let’s try to go back to sleep. Hopefully the power will be back on when we wake up. If not, I vote Hawaii.”

“Evenifthepowercomesbackonweshouldgo!”

“Sure, Lex bought me a house there that Clark forced him to put in my name and all that legal stuff. We can take a week or something.”

It’s still too hot -- and he’s still sort of coming down from a near panic attack -- but Tim can’t think of anywhere he’d rather be. 

“Thanks.”

Cassie pulls Tim backwards so his head’s pillowed on her stomach. “Of course.”

Bart folds his arms underneath his head on Tim’s chest. “We did greatdidn’twe?”

And Kon moves so that Tim can stretch his legs out, returning to laying on his lap when Tim makes a noise of content. “Hey man, what’s family for?”


End file.
